Most desks and workstations (such as used in offices and laboratories, for example) have fixed tables or countertops. Although there may be fixed shelves above the desk for storing a variety of items, one of the main problems with fixed shelves is the inefficiencies and underutilization of the area above (and below) the desk. It can be difficult, awkward and pose a variety of safety issues for reaching the top or bottom shelves to place objects or items thereon. Many people are forced to use ladders and step stools to place objects on the top shelves, and are forced to crouch, bend or kneel for placing objects on the bottom shelves. This of course causes a host of problems (e.g., safety, ergonomics, efficiencies) associated with using a ladder or step stool, or when climbing and balancing on the ladder when objects are fragile, expensive or heavy, with both hands are being used to hold such objects instead of being used to aid in balancing while ascending the stairs. Therefore, what is needed is the ability to reach the top shelves without a ladder.
Another problem with a desk or a workstation countertop is that they are usually made for a person of average height. This poses ergonomic problems for people who are taller, smaller and for those who want more/less space for their legs or for resting their arms thereon. What is needed therefore is a desktop or workstation countertop where the height of the desktop or workstation countertop can be easily adjusted to an individual's personal preference.
Another problem with fixed shelves is the inability to place active equipment or components thereon without using a number of long extension cords, connections and/or pipes. Active equipment refers to machines, tools, devices, appliances or gadgets that use electricity, liquids, gas, vacuum and/or data, for example, and that are being used in an office, running a business, experiments, research, development, design or other laboratory research. There are no convenient outlets located on or near the shelves, making it difficult to plug active equipment into an electrical outlet or connecting them to liquids (e.g., water) or gas (e.g., nitrogen, vacuum, oxygen, helium) or data systems (e.g., the Internet, a local computer network). What is needed therefore is an efficient way to connect to, and to remove and change the outlets, plumbing or services available for a shelving system.
During an experiment using active equipment on a fixed shelving system, there arises a problem on how to effectively and efficiently dispense of used waste materials, such as liquids (water, for example) and gases (helium, for example). What is needed is an efficient way of disposing of waste during live and active experiments on a shelving system.
What is needed is a shelving system that solves these problems, where a ladder is not needed for the storing objects on the top shelves, where equipment can be easily and ergonomically accessed and connected to power, liquid and gas outlets, and where waste can be efficiently disposed during active experiments.